Flew Vietnam Airlines to Ho Chii Minh City, then
with Cambodia Angkor Air to Siem Reap arriving
late evening on September 15. From the airport
transferred by tuk tuk to The Villa Siem Reap for my
three night stay and exploration of the Angkor region.
My first day spent on the Outlying Adventure Guided
Tour to Bantreay Samre, Banteay Srei, Kbal Spean and
the Ruluos Group.
The second day was on the Angkor Discovery Guided
Tour to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.
On my last day I went to Wat Thmei and Preah Khan by
tuk tuk before leaving for the airport for my 6pm flight
to Hanoi.

Siem Reap ✦ 5

6 ✦ Siem Reap

Siem Reap ✦ 7

8 ✦ Siem Reap

Siem Reap ✦ 9

10 ✦ Siem Reap

Siem Reap ✦ 11

12 ✦ Wat Thmei

Wat Thmei ✦ 13

14 ✦ Wat Thmei

Wat Thmei ✦ 15

16 ✦ Wat Thmei

Wat Thmei ✦ 17

18 ✦ Wat Thmei

Wat Thmei ✦ 19

20 ✦ Wat Thmei

Angkor
Wat

Angkor Wat means “City Temple” and was built for king
Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state
temple and capital city. The temple is the epitome
of the high classical style of Khmer architecture and
is also the most impressive in the character of its
grand composition, being comparable to the finest of
architectural achievements anywhere.
Angkor Wat is the a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on
its national flag.
Angkor Wat lies 5.5 km north of the modern town of
Siem Reap and covers an area – including its 190
metre wide moats – of nearly 200 hectares.

Angkor Wat ✦ 21

22 ✦ Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat ✦ 23

24 ✦ Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat ✦ 25

26 ✦ Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat ✦ 27

28 ✦ Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat ✦ 29

30 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor
Thom

Angkor Thom was the last capital city of the Khmer
empire. Established in the late 12th century by
king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 square
km, within which are located several monuments
from earlier eras as well as those established by
Jayavarman and his successors.
At the centre of the city is the Bayon, with the other
major sites clustered around the Victory Square
immediately to the north.
The city lies on the right bank of the Siem Reap River,
a tributary of Tonle Sap. The south gate of Angkor
Thom is 7 km north of Siem Reap, and 1.7 km north
of the entrance to Angkor Wat. The walls are 8 m
high and flanked by a moat, are each 3 km long and
enclose an area of 9 square km.

Angkor Thom ✦ 31

32 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 33

34 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 35

36 Рюд Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 37

38 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 39

40 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 41

42 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 43

Baphuon

44 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 45

Phimeanakas

46 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 47

The Terrace of The Elephants
The Terrace of the Leper King

48 â&#x153;Ś Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom Рюд 49

50 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 51

52 ✦ Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom ✦ 53

54 Рюд Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom Рюд 55

56 ✦ Banteay Samre

Banteay
Samre

Middle of the 12th century
Brahmanic (Vishnou)
This monument that takes its name from the Samre
people – is found to the east of the earth embankment
forming the eastern wall of the East Baray.
Anastylosis has transformed Banteay Samre into one
of the finest monuments of the Angkor group, and one
of the most complete. Its ornamentation, exceptional
in quality and very well preserved in its entirety,
became thereafter presented in its unified integrity
– it is a pure specimen of the classic art from the
finest period where the decoration, shown to its best
advantage on a clear background, is itself a function of
the architecture.

Banteay Samre ✦ 57

58 ✦ Banteay Samre

Banteay Samre ✦ 59

60 ✦ Banteay Samre

Banteay Samre ✦ 61

62 ✦ Banteay Srei

Banteay
Srei

Second half of the 10th century
Brahmanic (Shivaïte)
The miniature temple of Banteay Srei is located 20
kilometres north-east of the Bayon and situated in
the middle of the forest and in a remarkable state of
preservation.
It has the excellence of a near perfect ornamental
technique and is a “precious gem” and a “jewel of
Khmer art”.
Its small blocks of stone cut from a durable sandstone
retain its sharp profiles with visible decoration is so
well preserved.

Banteay Srei ✦ 63

64 ✦ Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei ✦ 65

66 Рюд Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei Рюд 67

68 Рюд Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei Рюд 69

70 ✦ Kbal Spean

Kbal
Spean

Commonly known as the valley of a 1000 Lingas,
Kbal Spean is an Angkorian era site on the southwest
slopes of the Kulen Hills in Cambodia, 25 km from the
main Angkor group.
It consists of a series of stone carvings in and around
the Stung Kbal Spean river.
The motifs for the stone carvings are roughly three:
• myriads of lingams, depicted as neatly arranged
bumps that cover the surface of a rock;
• lingam – yoni designs;
• various Hindu mythological motifs,
including depictions of gods and animals.

Kbal Spean ✦ 71

72 ✦ Kbal Spean

Kbal Spean ✦ 73

74 ✦ Preah Khan

Preah
Khan

Second half of 12th century
Buddhist
The large ensemble of Prah Khan, forming a rectangle
of 700 metres by 800 surrounded by moats, covers
an area of 56 hectares.
The temple is flat in design, with a basic plan of
successive rectangular galleries around a Buddhist
sanctuary complicated by Hindu satellite temples and
numerous later additions.
The outer wall of Preah Khan is of laterite, and bears
72 garudas holding nagas, at 50 metre intervals.

Preah Khan ✦ 75

76 ✦ Preah Khan

Preah Khan ✦ 77

78 ✦ Preah Khan

Preah Khan ✦ 79

80 ✦ Bakong

Bakong

Late 9th century
Brahmanic (Shivaïte)
Bakong is the first temple mountain of sandstone
constructed by rulers of the Khmer empire at Angkor.
In the final decades of the 9th century A.D, it served
as the official state temple of King Indravarman I in
the ancient city of Hariharalaya, located in an area that
today is called Roluos.
Of all the temples on stepped terraces of the Angkor
region, Bakong is perhaps the one which most closely
responds to the idea of the Mount Meru on 5 levels,
corresponding, from bottom to top respectively, to the
world of the Nagas, the Garudas, the Rakshasas, the
Yakshas, and then to the Maharajas of the four cardinal
points with their court.

Bakong ✦ 81

82 ✦ Bakong

Bakong ✦ 83

84 ✦ Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Middle of 12th to early 13th century
Buddhist
The Khmer temple Ta Prohm is a Buddhist monastery
laid out on a single plane, no longer followed the
principle of multiple levels, but where the notion of
elevation was rather expressed by the rising of the
towers and predominant central sanctuary from within
an arrangement of concentric galleries. Here these
number three, and the principal east-west axis, formed
by a succession of towers and passages, gives a sort
of ‘sacred vista’ straight to the heart of the monument.

Ta Prohm ✦ 85

86 ✦ Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm ✦ 87

88 ✦ Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm ✦ 89

90 ✦ Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm ✦ 91

92 ✦ Lolei

Lolei

Late 9th century
Brahmanic (Shivaïte)
The temple of Lolei is the northernmost temple of the
Ruluos group and is situated north of Bakong. Once
an island temple formed an island in the middle of the
Indratataka – a large reservoir of 3,800 metres eastwest by 800 north-south whose excavation started to
provide the capital city (Hariharalaya) with water and to
irrigate the surrounding plains.
The appearance of the monument is marred by the
unfortunate presence of various pagoda buildings.

Lolei ✦ 93

94 ✦ Lolei

Lolei ✦ 95

Vietnam
16-9-2009 to 27-9-2009

Hanoi

✦

Golden Sun 1 Hotel
and Victory Hotel

Halong Bay

✦

Bien Ngoc 12 Junk

Hue

✦

Thanh Noi Hotel

Hoi An

✦

Cua Dai Hotel

Ho Chi Minh City

✦

Hong Vy Hotel

98 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi

Flew to Hanoi September 15 staying at the Golden
Sun 1 Hotel for the first two nights.
Spent a day touring with Phong, a student of
hanoikidsclub.org.
On September 17 met up with the Intrepid group and
stayed at the Victory Hotel.
Hanoi is the capital and second largest city of Vietnam
and is located on the right bank of the Red River.
Hanoi is considered to be the cultural centre of
Vietnam with many interesting historic monuments
for visitors and residents alike.
The Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake has the
original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi
– each street had merchants that specialised in a
particular trade.

Hanoi ✦ 99

100 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 101

102 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 103

104 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 105

106 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 107

108 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 109

110 Рюд Hanoi

Hanoi Рюд 111

112 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 113

114 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 115

116 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 117

118 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 119

120 ✦ Hanoi

Hanoi ✦ 121

122 ✦ Halong Bay

Halong Bay

On September 18 we travelled by bus for four hours to
Ha Long Bay.
Glorious weather and calm seas we boarded the Bien
Ngoc 12 Junk for our overnight stay.
Cruised through the very scenic bay and stopped to
visit Hung Sun Sot.
Kayaked for three hours into the evening then a swim
in the very warm water.
Seafood for dinner and very tired layed on a deck
lounge on the top deck almost falling asleep then to
the air conditioned cabin for a great night’s sleep.

Halong Bay ✦ 123

124 ✦ Halong Bay

Halong Bay ✦ 125

126 ✦ Halong Bay

Halong Bay ✦ 127

128 ✦ Halong Bay

Halong Bay ✦ 129

130 ✦ Halong Bay

Halong Bay ✦ 131

132

â?&#x2013; Halong Bay

Halong Bay ✦ 133

134 ✦ Hue

Hue

Spent September 19 on the overnight train from
Hanoi, then the next two nights in Hue.
Blue skies and very hot we visited the Citadel on the
first day followed by a swim in the hotel pool then a
group dinner in town.
Our second day in Hue the group toured by bike,
travelling single file through the countryside stopping
at a market and watched incense being made. Had
lunch at a nunnery then went on a boat down the
Perfume River.
We had a banquet dinner with all of the group dressed
in period costume with musicians and singers.
Finished the evening at the DMZ pub.

Hue ✦ 135

136 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 137

138 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 139

140 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 141

142 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 143

144 Рюд Hue

Hue ✦ 145

146 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 147

148 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 149

150 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 151

152 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 153

154 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 155

156 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 157

158 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 159

160 ✦ Hue

Hue ✦ 161

162 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An

September 21 we travelled by bus passing through
the Hai Van Pass and past Marble Mountain.
On arriving, Tho took us on an orientation tour, then
had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the river.
Toured the countryside by bicycle women created for
us was better.
Most of the group went with Tho to Bale Well, basic
looking restaurant in a back alley, metal top tables and
all you can eat for $4.
The ancient town of Hoi An is 30 km south of Danang
and lies on the banks of the Thu Bon River.
Occupied by early western traders, Hoi An was one
of the major trading centers of Southeast Asia in the
16th century.

Hoi An ✦ 163

164 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 165

166 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 167

168 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 169

170 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 171

172 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 173

174 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 175

176 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 177

178 ✦ Hoi An

Hoi An ✦ 179

180 ✦ Mekong Delta

Mekong
Delta

September 23 – After a long delay we flew to Ho Chi
Minh City having to do our cyclo tour into the evening.
Had dinner at one of the outside restaurants next to
the market.
The following day we travelled by bus to the Mekong
Delta. We toured on boats along the river system,
walked through the fields and also on motorised carts.
The Mekong splits in Cambodia into two main rivers,
the Bassac and the First river, then in Vietnam into
a more complex system, creating a maze of small
canals, rivers and arroyos interspersed with villages
and floating markets.
Life in the Mekong Delta revolves much around the
river, and all the villages are often accessible by
river rather than by road.

Mekong Delta ✦ 181

182 ✦ Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta ✦ 183

184 ✦ Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta ✦ 185

186 ✦ Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta ✦ 187

188 ✦ Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh
City

September 25 – the group travelled to the Cu Chi
tunnels, then on to the Cao Dai temple.
Went to Pho 2000 for dinner and walked the streets
around the market area.
Spent my last day touring on my own visiting the parks,
the Reunification Palace, City Hall, City Post Office,
Notre Dame Cathedral and along the Saigon River.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the largest city in Vietnam
and the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam.
The city center is situated on the banks of the Saigon
River, with the metropolitan area populated by more
than 9 million people.
The city is adorned with wide elegant boulevards and
historic French colonial buildings.